A packed senate hearing room with nurses, activists and others gathered to hear about the KXL pipeline. Photo via Collin Rees of SustainUS

Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a long-anticipated hearing on the Keystone XL Pipeline. This hearing aimed to explore whether the pipeline is in our national interest and included panelists such as esteemed climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, and Sierra Club Executive Director, Michael Brune. Also testifying were Karen Harbert, president of the Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy, and General USMCJames L. Jones.

Opponents of the proposed pipeline argued that allowing Keystone to pass through the U.S. would be assuming a large amount of risk, with little pay off. The majority of this dirty tar sands oil would be exported, but not before passing through America’s heartland. Denying this pipeline would send a clear message that the U.S. does not want dirty tar sands oil passing through our communities. Here are some of the best quotes from today’s hearing!

Top 10 quotes from the Keystone XL hearing:

1. “We’re screwing our children, grandchildren, all future generations if we think we can use those unconventional fossil fuels.”– Dr. James Hansen

Proponents of the Keystone pipeline like to argue that this tar sands oil will be developed regardless. But the truth is that Canada has been exploring other options and is hitting significant opposition. For example, native tribes in western Canada have made it clear that they will not allow a pipeline through their native lands.

3. “The choice is not whether to accepted increased risk by rail or pipeline, but whether to take the oil out of the ground”– Michael Brune

Senator Boxer gave a strong testimony, citing the vast health impacts as one of the primary reasons to reject the pipeline. Accompanied by nurses from across the U.S., she talked about the health impacts of living near refineries. Often these places will have much higher rates of cancers and asthma, especially in children.

6. “If you are in support of the environment, you are in support of the pipeline.”– Chamber of Commerce’s Karen Harbert

Really?? I think the large majority of environmentalists are going to have to disagree with Ms. Harbert on that point.

7. To which Senator Barbara Boxer responded: “When you said ‘If you are an environmentalist you are in support of this pipeline’, let me just say that is ludicrous on its face, please don’t speak for me, and please don’t speak for lots of folks who don’t see it that way.”

Sandhill cranes are one of the many species that are impacted by tar sands development. Photo by Myrna Erler Bradshaw, NWF photo contest winner

9. “The right strategy is to make it cleaner tomorrow than today. To grow the pieces [of our energy structure] that are not carbon and to take the pieces that are heavy carbon and reduce them in size and carbon intensity”– Senator Tim Kaine

Tar sands is one of the most carbon intensive fuel sources. As we try to limit our overall carbon impact, it is important that we focus on reducing the most carbon intensive fuel sources.

10. “We’re all on the same boat. We will either sink together or find a way to sail together”– Dr. James Hansen

What KXL means for wildlife

We are all in the same boat, no matter your party (or your species!) you will be affected by climate change and dirty fuels projects. Keystone XL pipeline will cut through America’s agricultural heartland, the Missouri, Platte, and Niobrara Rivers, the Ogallala aquifer, habitat for sage grouse and sandhill cranes, walleye fisheries and much more. Migratory birds are especially at risk as many of their migration paths follow the proposed Keystone pipeline route. Habitat disruption in these areas would negatively impact these migrating species as well as the communities in the surrounding areas.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/03/the-top-10-quotes-from-todays-kxl-hearing/feed/0Nationwide Vigils Held Against the Keystone Pipelinehttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/02/nationwide-vigils-held-against-the-keystone-pipeline/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/02/nationwide-vigils-held-against-the-keystone-pipeline/#commentsTue, 04 Feb 2014 17:44:00 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=91495Last night, across the country, there were over 280 vigils against the Keystone pipeline in 48 states and Washington, DC. The National Wildlife Federation stood in solidarity with groups like the Sierra Club and 350.org as we asked President Obama a simple question: will he be a “pipeline president” or a “climate champion”?

Standing in front of the White House, activists and polar bears united to show President Obama how important it is to say no to Keystone and no to our addiction to fossil fuels. The Keystone project would pump filthy tar sands oil from Canada through America to be refined in the Gulf Coast. This pipeline would cut through wildlife habitat and communities across America’s heartland, putting them at risk of spills and accidents. Just this week, Chris Hayes of MSNBC called America out on our addiction to dirty fuels:

“Our nation, our society, is addicted to fossil fuel. Quite literally we are dependent on it. We have a chemical dependency and we need to break it or we will raise the temperature of the earth so much it will invite massive risk of widespread catastrophe, disaster and misery.”

Keystone XL would feed our fossil fuel obsession when we need to be breaking the habit. Last night, Reverend Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus gave an energizing speech where he insisted, “We must transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and we must do it now!”

This nationwide anti-Keystone outcry comes just days after the State department released their highly-anticipated environmental impact statement on the project. The report has, for the first time, acknowledged the significant carbon impacts of the project stating that it could cause the equivalent carbon emissions of up to almost 6 million new cars being put on the road. This report has given President Obama all the information he needs to deny the pipeline.

In the State of the Union address last week, President Obama stated unequivocally that, “The debate is settled. Climate change is a fact.” The debate is also over on Keystone: the pipeline would be a climate disaster. If President Obama is truly believes what he said in the State of the Union, he will deny the Keystone pipeline and make secure his legacy as a climate champion.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/02/nationwide-vigils-held-against-the-keystone-pipeline/feed/0The Good and the Bad in the Senate Budgethttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/03/the-good-and-the-bad-in-the-senate-budget/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/03/the-good-and-the-bad-in-the-senate-budget/#commentsMon, 25 Mar 2013 21:19:55 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=77257

If the Keystone XL pipeline is constructed and tar sands development continues unchecked, some herds of Woodland Caribou could disappear in as little as 30 years. (Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

On Friday, after 14 hours of a Senate procedure called — really — vote-a-rama, the Senate passed the budget resolution proposed by Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray last week. Over 500 amendments were proposed, and over 100 were considered. Since the budget resolution does not actually authorize spending, but rather serves as a guidepost to the Senate’s priorities for the coming year, these amendments are non-binding. Nevertheless, they are a key way for Senators to send a political message on controversial issues, and have a large amount of symbolic importance.

The Good

Thanks to the help of the many NWF members and activists who influenced their Senators, we beat back many bad environmental amendments and saw the Senate pass some positive ones. We were especially pleased to see a majority of Senators stand up for the Clean Air Act by voting down amendments that would have struck down the Mercury Air Toxins standard and blocked agencies from curbing the pollution driving climate change. The Senate also passed amendments to insure that critical funds are available to prevent the risk of wildfires, increase funding for ARPA-E, which provides research funding for innovative energy technologies, increase the amount of funding for weatherization and energy efficiency programs, and help homeowners and small businesses mitigate against flood loss.

The Bad

Unfortunately, several amendments with harmful consequences for people and wildlife did pass. One passed amendment undermines federal efforts to avoid the need to list the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act. And another amendment weakens the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)—the landmark environmental law that requires every federal agency to consider the environmental impact of any government action—by saying that greenhouse gas emissions produced outside the United States by any good produced here (including fossil fuels) are not subject to the requirements of NEPA.

And finally, the Senate passed an amendment that expresses support for building the Keystone XL pipeline—something that will have a disastrous impact on the climate and on wildlife.

The Amendments

Pro-environment actions

Udall-Barasso Amendment 239 – passed by voice vote. Ensures critical funds are available to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, which threaten communities and natural resources across the country

Merkley Amendment 398 – passed by voice vote. Increases the investment of government research dollars under the Department of Energy ARPA-E program

Anti-environment actions

Barrasso Amendment 184 – passed by voice vote. Expedites exports from the U.S. through reform of NEPA in such a manner that Greenhouse Gas Emissions produced outside the U.S. by any good exported from the U.S. are not subject to the requirements of NEPA.

Heller Amendment 293 – passed by voice vote. Undermines federal efforts to avoid the need to list the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act by establishing a fund to “ensure” that the Bureau of Land Management works toward “approving” state plans for managing the bird, regardless of whether they will actually meet the standards needed to avoid listing on a national basis.

Santa’s sleigh doesn’t run on oil, it’s powered by Rudolph and his friends! Santa’s reindeer and their cousins, the woodland caribou, are in danger and need your help! Up in Alberta, Canada caribou are being threatened by the tar sands industry and humans rapid expansion into caribou habitat. This dirty industry is responsible for dangerous projects like Keystone XL pipeline & other pipelines across the country. Alberta’s government reported that caribou populations are in serious decline and measures need to be taken to save this iconic and important species (I mean, seriously, how can you not save the red-nosed Rudolph?). This comes on the hooves of Alberta’s 5-year wolf-killing program as its main approach to caribou management, which has already seen more than 500 wolves killed.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/12/save-santas-reindeer/feed/1Original Keystone Pipeline Shuts Down, Safety a Concernhttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/10/original-keystone-pipeline-shuts-down-safety-a-concern/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/10/original-keystone-pipeline-shuts-down-safety-a-concern/#commentsThu, 18 Oct 2012 17:04:22 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=68699Today, TransCanada, the energy giant proposing to build the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline announced it is shutting the original Keystone pipeline it operates. They say the line will be shut for three days due to an undisclosed “anomaly.” The line was shut down less than a year agodue to mechanical problems, and has had regular leaks since it came online, leaking on average once a month in its first year of operation. Like Keystone XL, TransCanada claimed when proposing Keystone 1 that it would be the safest pipeline ever built.

Conservation groups and now the Canadian government are expressing concern that TransCanada lacks a safety culture. The same lapses resulted in numerous incidents by their competitor Enbridge, including the deadly explosion pictured above.

NWF strongly opposes Keystone XL and has said for years that tar sands pipelines are inherently risky and require more study before they become more commonplace and a bigger threat to wildlife than they already are.

The reason TransCanada needs to keep shutting down Keystone is because pipelines are inherently dangerous. When a pipeline carries heavy tar sands, the risks multiply. Canadian tar sands are not inherently better or safer, quite the opposite, they require the construction of massive and unstable infrastructure that will eventually fail. The best approach to our energy challenges isn’t building more pipelines, it’s embracing clean energy solutions that don’t spill or explode.